Your Orbiting Laboratory
Since the first crew’s arrival aboard more than twenty years ago, the International Space Station has evolved into a state-of-the-art scientific lab.
current mission
Expedition
Crew Members
Station Research and Technology
Station Science 101
Explore this page to learn the basics of many of the science and technology investigations — in disciplines ranging from astrophysics to combustion to microbiology, and more — that are being studied on your space station.
Learn More About Research Areas Studied![image of astronaut’s hands in glovebox](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/02_iss065e056791_large.jpg?w=768)
Station Benefits for Humanity
The spectrum of the impact of the orbiting lab includes scientific, societal, exploration, and economic benefits as part of a growing low Earth orbit economy. Learn about the broad array of research sponsored by the station’s international partnerships and the benefits that have resulted.
Explore Station Benefits about Station Benefits for Humanity![This composite photograph, a combination of several distinct photographs, of Cuba, the Bahamas and southern Florida was captured as the International Space Station orbited 263 miles above the Caribbean Sea.](https://images-assets.nasa.gov/image/jsc2021e019119/jsc2021e019119~large.jpg?w=1920&h=732&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint)
Got an Idea for a Microgravity Project?
Explore the unique opportunities the International Space Station provides researchers, scientists, payload developers, educators, students, and others.
Explore Opportunities![image of an astronaut working with a plant experiment in the space station](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/iss069e030677-stevebowen-dna.jpg?w=1024)
ISS National Laboratory
The ISS National Lab manages all non-NASA research and investigations to expand research opportunities of this unparalleled platform. Through the ISS National Lab, this unique space-based research platform is available to U.S. researchers from small companies, research institutions, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and others, all interested in leveraging the space environment to solve complex problems on Earth.
Learn About the ISS National Laboratory![](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/issnl-logo-white-digitalquality-blkbkgrnd.png?w=1024)
Resources
Educational and reference materials you can use.
Tap into our resource library for free downloadable/printable materials with information about the science and technology research aboard the space station and much more!
Review Resources![female astronaut reading a children's book while floating near the cupola of the space station with Earth on the backdrop](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/iss065e235640.jpg?w=1024)
Contacts
International Space Station Research Integration Office
The team members who ensure space station science, technology applications, business/economic development, research hardware integration, planning, and communications leadership at the highest level within the International Space Station Program.
Find Contacts![The International Space Station as of Oct. 4, 2018](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/iss056e201262.jpg?w=1024)
Station Research Results
The International Space Station, in its third decade of continuous human presence, has far-reaching impact as a microgravity lab hosting scientific investigations and technology demonstrations from a range of fields.
Explore Station Results about Station Research Results![NASA astronaut and Expedition 70 Flght Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli works inside the Life Science Glovebox for the Microgravity Associated Bone Loss-A investigation. She was processing bone cell samples obtained from human donors on Earth and exploring space-caused bone loss. Results may help doctors learn how to protect and treat astronauts on long-term missions and inform treatments for bone conditions on Earth.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/iss070e086287.jpg?w=2048)
In Space Production Applications
NASA’s In Space Production Applications (InSPA) portfolio is leveraging more than two decades of results from the International Space Station by continuing to demonstrate the benefits of microgravity for the development of new commercial technologies and products that have the potential to improve the quality of life on Earth for people everywhere.
Learn More About InSPA![image of red bubbles in experiment hardware](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/iss038e012659-cfe.jpg?w=768)
Space Station Research Explorer
Search or browse information at your fingertips about space station experiments, facilities, capabilities, and publications.
Explore Research Database about Space Station Research Explorer![NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, in a green shirt, and Drew Morgan, in a blue shirt, with their hands inside white gloves visible through the top of the Life Sciences Glovebox, a lab facility the size of a large suitcase onboard the International Space Station. A video camera sits on top of the Glovebox, which contains mouse habitats and other equipment for scientific experiments.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/49205092877-dfc2ac0a81-k.jpg?w=2048)
Station Partnership Websites
Learn how the partnership participates and collaborates in science and technology research aboard the International Space Station.
Find More Information![image of the expedition crewmembers posing for the photo](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/03_iss067e274136_crew.jpg?w=1024)
Ciencia en la estación
Aprende sobre las investigaciones y otras actividades a bordo de la estación espacial.
Aprende más sobre la ciencia![imagen de un astronauta trabajando en la configuración del hardware de una investigación de combustible](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/01_iss068e043130_rubio_cir.jpg?w=768)
Subscribe
Sign up for the Space Station Research Weekly Newsletter to get the latest information about what is happening onboard your orbiting laboratory.
Learn More about Subscribe![Against the black backdrop of the vacuum of space, NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy, entirely shielded by a spacesuit, works on maintenance outside the International Space Station. Using a wrench-type tool in his hands, he makes adjustments to a white outer layer of the orbiting laboratory.](https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/iss063e052643large.jpg?w=1920)